The Skinny Dog Hotel

YY, D, P and I decided to check out Skinny Dog Hotel. Every year YY and I get the ET book and every year we vow to try something new out of the book. I can't say we have stuck to that vow every year so this time I made sure the suggestion was something we haven't tried before and was out of the ET book.

Located in Kew junction, Skinny Dog Hotel is your local pub with a refined atmosphere.

To start, we couldn't decide on what starter to get so we went with the chef platter which had dip, pork belly bites, calamari and barbecue prawns. The dips were beetroot and balsamic oil with dukkah spice. The texture was nice and smooth, but it was a bit bland for my liking. The calamari was nice and crispy on the outside without being too oily however it lacked a bit of salt. I found myself to be constantly reaching over to the salt and pepper grinder for this dish. The prawns were my favourite part of the platter. 

YY went with the beef burger. This has a wagyu patty with egg, bacon, lettuce, bbq relish. To top the burger off, was a giant onion ring on top of the burger. It was one good patty with lots of extras.

P went with the steak. This is something to order only if you are very hungry. It came with a generous amount of sauteed potatoes, carrots and broccoli. Finished with a mushroom sauce, it will curb any hungry beast.

D opted for their signature parma. A generous schnitzel with tangy Napoli sauce, ham and basil. The iconic classic in every angle. Served with a side of chips and salad.

I decided on the BBQ ribs. Slow cooked pork ribs with sweet potato chips and coleslaw. The meat fell off the bone. Their basting was thick and I would have preferred something lighter but more sauce. Sweet potato chips were a good change to the usual potato variety.

Being a pub, there is also a good range of beer. However I was in the mood for lemon, lime and bitters so we decided to get a jug. The whole night the waiter made fun of me constantly taking photos of my food.  The staff in general were friendly and our waiter was even willing to pose with a big jug of lemon, lime and bitters for my camera.

Overall 14/20 this is a great local pub with a good variety of menu choices. It's signature parma is deserving to be their signature dish. Perfect place for a local, casual feed.

Snow Pony

What to do on a lazy Sunday with gloomy weather..? Have brunch!

Located on a local shopping strip in Balwyn, this is not some place you would know about unless you were local or the type the of person who researches your food adventures.

To start off I shared a McPony with my partner. This is as you probably guessed, a bacon and egg muffin inspired by McDonald's breakfast menu. Tasty bacon and soft egg with melted cheese..... definitely hit the spot for me to start my meal.

"Giddy up" which is almost like breakfast with the lot. Poach eggs, bacon, roast tomato, avocado, mushrooms on grained toast. You can't really get this wrong and Snow Pony gets it really right.


The smashed avocado with mushrooms is mushroom and avocado overload. It's a great dish if you love your mushrooms and avocado, it comes with feta, which gives it a nice kick in flavour.

Then there is the toasted banana bread, with mascapone, banana, berries and pistachio. This is absolutely amazing. For me it was all my favorite things put together in a beautiful way. However if you don't have a sweet tooth, it might be too much sweetness first thing in the morning, so maybe go halves with someone ordering a savory option.

I won't review the coffee, as I am not a big coffee drinker so this is something you have to find out yourself.


Overall I was very happy with Snow Pony. I would give it a 14/20, I also had 25% off from the Entertainment Book which made it even better! Thumbs up from me, and if you are in the area, definitely check this place out!